Clasp for surrounding and squeezing a flexible tube

ABSTRACT

A clasp for surrounding and sliding along a flexible tube for squeezing the contents therefrom. The clasp includes first and second articulating arms that are hingedly connected together at a flexible joint so as to be rotatable between an open and unlocked position at which to receive the flexible tube therebetween and a closed and locked position at which to lie in substantially parallel face-to-face alignment and thereby apply a compressive force against the tube. One of the articulating arms includes a locking tab, and the other arm includes a catch that is carried by a flexible neck having a spring memory. The catch has a locking slot formed therein in which to removably receive and releasably retain the locking tab to thereby hold the first and second arms in the closed and locked position. The catch also includes a force-receiving push pad to which a manual pushing force is applied to cause the flexible neck to bend and the locking slot of the catch to rotate out of receipt of the locking tab.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a clasp to be moved into surrounding locking engagement with and slide along a flexible tube for applying a compressive force to the tube to squeeze the contents therefrom.

2. Background Art

Flexible (e.g., plastic) tubes are manufactured in a variety of different sizes to carry a variety of liquids for use in a corresponding variety of applications (e.g., skin and hair care for health and beauty treatments as but one such application). The contents of the tube may be accessed when the user exerts a squeezing force to compress the tube. Because the user typically manipulates one of his hands to compress the tube, the squeezing force is not always uniformly applied. Moreover, the squeezing force may only be applied to certain areas of the tube. Consequently, not all of the contents will be squeezed from the tube before the tube is discarded. The foregoing results in inefficiency and waste and, in cases where the liquid contents are expensive, increases the unit cost of consumption to the user.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a clasp for surrounding and sliding along a flexible tube to compress the tube and enable the user to squeeze virtually all of the contents therefrom so as to reduce waste as well as the user's cost of consumption.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In general terms, a clasp is disclosed for surrounding and sliding along a flexible tube to apply a compressive force to the tube to squeeze the contents therefrom. The clasp has a pair of articulating arms that are hingedly and coextensively connected to one another at a flexible joint. A locking tab projects from a first of the pair of articulating arms, and a catch is carried by the second arm. The articulating arms are rotatable relative to one another at the joint from an open and unlocked position, at which the arms are separated to receive the flexible tube therebetween, to a closed and locked position, at which the arms are disposed in substantially parallel, face-to-face alignment in surrounding engagement with the tube to apply the compressive force thereto. A raised force-imparting rib runs along the inside of each arm to apply a wide compressive force to the flexible tube as the clasp slides along the tube with the arms in the closed and locked position.

The catch that is carried by the second of the arms projects therefrom by way of a flexible neck. The catch includes a force-receiving push pad at one end thereof and a locking slot at the opposite end. When the articulating arms are rotated to the closed and locked position, the locking tab of the first arm will snap into receipt by the locking slot of the catch that is carried by the second arm, whereby to hold the clasp in surrounding engagement with the flexible tube. A manual pushing force applied to the push pad of the catch causes the flexible neck to bend and the locking slot to rotate out of its receipt of the locking tab, whereby the pair of arms may be moved apart to the open and unlocked position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a clasp according to a preferred embodiment of this invention with a pair of arms rotated together to a closed and locked position;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views of the clasp of FIG. 1 with the pair of arms rotated apart to an open and unlocked position;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the clasp with the arms thereof rotated to the closed and locked position in surrounding engagement with a flexible tube;

FIG. 5 shows the clasp with the arms thereof in the closed and locked position surrounding one end of the flexible end; and

FIG. 6 shows the clasp with the arms thereof in the closed and locked position after sliding along the flexible tube to apply a compressive force and squeeze the contents outwardly therefrom.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A clasp 1 for surrounding and squeezing a flexible tube according to a preferred embodiment of this invention is disclosed while referring concurrently to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings. The clasp 1 is ideally manufactured (e.g., molded) from plastic. The clasp 1 includes a pair of articulating arms 3 and 5 that are hingedly and coextensively connected to one another at first ends thereof by means of a flexible joint 7. The articulating arms 3 and 5 of clasp 1 are adapted to rotate relative to one another at the joint 7 between a closed and locked position shown at FIG. 1 and an open and unlocked position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

The opposite end of a first of the articulating arms 3 of clasp 1 includes a locking tab 9 projecting outwardly therefrom. The opposite end of the other arm 5 includes a catch 20 that is connected to and spaced from the arm 5 by means of a flexible neck 12 having a spring memory. A raised force-imparting rib 14 extends longitudinally along the inside of the first arm 3 (best shown in FIG. 3), and a raised force-imparting rib 16 extends longitudinally along the inside of the other arm 5 (best shown in FIG. 2). When the pair of articulating arms 3 and 5 of the clasp 1 are rotated at joint 7 towards one another to the closed and locked position, the raised force-imparting ribs 14 and 16 of arms 3 and 5 will be disposed one above the other to apply a localized compressive force by which to squeeze a flexible tube located therebetween in the manner to be described in greater detail when referring hereinafter to FIGS. 4-6.

The catch 20 that is carried by the second arm 5 of the clasp 1 includes an inwardly-facing locking slot 18 at one end thereof and an outwardly-facing push pad 10 at the opposite end. When the pair of articulating arms 3 and 5 are rotated towards one another at the flexible joint 7, the first arm 3 will move into contact with and apply a pushing force against the catch 20 carried by the second arm 5, whereby the flexible neck 12 is bent outwardly and stressed so as to store energy. The locking slot 18 and the push pad 10 will rotate together with the neck 12 in response to the pushing force applied to the catch 20. Once the first arm 3 rotates past the catch 20 to the closed and locked position, the flexible neck 12 will release its stored energy and automatically return (i.e., rotate) to its initial unstressed position shown in FIGS. 1-3. At the same time, the catch 20 will rotate with the neck 12 such that the locking tab 9 of the first arm 3 will now snap into locking engagement with the locking slot 18 of the catch 20 carried by the second arm 5.

Accordingly, the pair of articulating arms 3 and 5 of the clasp 1 will be held together in the closed and locked position shown in FIG. 1. To accomplish the foregoing, the catch 20 lies between the pair of articulating arms 3 and 5 when the clasp 1 is in the open and unlocked position of FIGS. 2 and 3 and outside the pair of arms 3 and 5 when the clasp 1 is in the closed and locked position of FIG. 1.

When it is desirable to release the clasp 1 from the closed and locked position of FIG. 1 to the open and unlocked position of FIGS. 2 and 3, a pushing force is manually applied in the direction of the reference 22 of FIG. 1 to the push pad 10 of the catch 20 by means of a thumb of a user. The pushing force 22 applied to push pad 10 will once again stress the flexible neck 12 extending between the catch 20 and the second arm 5 of clasp 1. Hence, the flexible neck 12 will bend (i.e., rotate) outwardly and store energy. As the flexible neck 12 bends, the locking slot 18 within the catch 20 will be pulled away from the locking tab 9 carried by the first arm 3. Therefore, the locking slot 18 will rotate of its locking engagement with the locking tab 9. At the same time, a lifting force may be applied to cause the first arm 3 to rotate at the flexible joint 7 of clasp 1 and thereby move upwardly and away from the second arm 5. Once the first arm 3 rotates past the catch 20 and the pushing force 22 is no longer applied to the force-receiving push pad 10, the flexible neck 12 will release its stored energy and automatically return (i.e., rotate) to its initial unstressed position. Accordingly, the first arm 3 will be separated from the second arm 5 so that a flexible tube can be combined with or removed from the clasp 1.

Turning now to FIGS. 4-6 of the drawings, the clasp 1 of this invention is shown surrounding a flexible tube 30 so as to be capable of sliding therealong in order to apply a compressive force by which to squeeze the contents therefrom. By way of example only, the contents of the flexible tube 30 may include cosmetics, health care or personal hygiene products. However, it is to be expressly understood that the contents of flexible tube 30 are not to be considered a limitation of this invention. Moreover, the clasp 1 for surrounding and squeezing the flexible tube 30 is not limited to any particular size. That is to say, the clasp 1 can be manufactured in a variety of different sizes to be used in combination with a variety of different flexible tubes having correspondingly different sizes.

As just described, the flexible tube 30 is surrounded by the clasp 1 when the first and second articulating arms 3 and 5 thereof are rotated to the open and unlocked position as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The first arm 3 of clasp 1 is then rotated at the joint 7 towards the closed and locked position above the second arm 5 with the flexible tube 30 secured therebetween. In the closed and locked position of FIG. 4, the articulating arms 3 and 5 are held in substantially parallel, face-to-face alignment with one another. By virtue of the raised force-imparting ribs 14 and 16, a wide squeezing force is applied across the flexible tube 30 located between the arms 3 and 5. The squeezing (i.e., compressive) force exerted upon the flexible tube 30 must have a magnitude to permit the clasp 1 to slide continuously along the tube when the clasp is in the closed and locked position.

That is to say, unlike conventional bag closures which simply seal a bag to prevent spoilage of the contents, the clasp 1 of the present invention is advantageously adapted to slide longitudinally along the flexible tube 30 so as to squeeze the contents therefrom. Referring in this regard to FIG. 5 of the drawings, the clasp 1 is shown with the pair of articulating arms 3 and 5 rotated to the closed and locked position for surrounding the flexible tube 30 at one end thereof. As the contents of the flexible tube 30 are consumed, the user applies a pushing force against the clasp 1 for causing the clasp to slide along the tube 30 from the first end thereof to the opposite end as shown by FIG. 6. The opposing force-imparting ribs 14 and 16 of the arms 3 and 5 of clasp 1 will at all times compress the flexible tube and thereby force the contents outwardly therefrom to be consumed by the user. In this manner, virtually all of the contents of flexible tube 30 can be squeezed outwardly therefrom as the clasp 1 slides therealong. Hence, the clasp 1 reduces waste by enabling the user to selectively access the contents of tube 30 depending upon the position of the clasp 1 sliding therealong.

Once the contents of the flexible tube 30 are fully consumed or should the user wish to relocate the clasp 1 to a different tube, the articulating arms 3 and 5 of the clasp 1 are separated from one another to the open and unlocked position by manipulating the push pad 10 of catch 20 in the manner previously disclosed. The clasp 1 may then be moved into surrounding engagement with a different tube so as to squeeze the contents therefrom on an as-needed basis. Therefore, it may be appreciated that the clasp of the present invention may be reused with the same or different tubes having different contents. 

1. A clasp for surrounding and sliding along a flexible tube to squeeze the contents therefrom, said clasp comprising first and second arms hingedly connected to one another at first ends thereof and rotatable between an open position at which the opposite ends of said arms are spaced apart from one another to receive the flexible tube therebetween and a closed position at which said opposite ends are moved together to surround the tube and apply a compressive force thereto, the compressive force having a magnitude by which to permit said clasp to slide along the flexible tube and thereby squeeze the contents therefrom, said first arm having a locking tab and said second arm having a catch by which to receive and releasably retain said catch when said first and second arms are rotated to the closed position, whereby said first and second arms are held together in surrounding engagement with the flexible tube.
 2. The clasp recited in claim 1, wherein the first ends of said first and second arms are hingedly connected to one another at a flexible joint extending continuously between said arms.
 3. The clasp recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second arms has a raised force-imparting rib running between the first and opposite ends thereof to engage the flexible tube and apply said compressive force thereto when said first and second arms are rotated together to said closed position.
 4. The clasp recited in claim 1, wherein the catch of said second arm includes a locking slot within which to removably receive and releasably retain the locking tab of said first arm when said first and second arms are rotated together to the closed position.
 5. The clasp recited in claim 4, wherein said catch is carried at and spaced from said second arm by means of a flexible neck having a spring memory, said flexible neck positioning said catch relative to said locking tab so that said locking tab is snapped into receipt by and releasably retained within the locking slot of said catch when said first and second arms are rotated together to said closed position.
 6. The clasp recited in claim 5, wherein said flexible neck is rotatable relative to said second arm and adapted to bend for causing a corresponding rotation of said catch relative to said locking tab when said first and second arms are rotated between said open and closed positions.
 7. The clasp recited in claim 6, wherein the catch of said second arm includes a force-receiving push pad at which to receive a manually-applied pushing force for causing said flexible neck to bend and said catch to rotate with said neck relative to said second arm.
 8. The clasp recited in claim 7, wherein said locking slot and said force-receiving push pad are located at opposite ends of the catch of said second arm so as to rotate together in response to the pushing force manually applied to said push pad.
 9. The clasp recited in claim 1, wherein said catch is located between said first and second arms when said arms are in the open position, and said catch is located outside said first and second arms when said arms are rotated together to the closed position.
 10. The clasp recited in claim 1, wherein said first and second arms are located in substantially parallel, face-to-face alignment when said arms are rotated together to said second position. 